Terminal connector

ABSTRACT

A TERMINAL CONNECTOR HAVING A CONTACT WHICH IS POSITIVELY ENGAGED WITH THE WIRE CONDUCTOR IN A MANNER TO EFFECT LOW RESISTANCE ELECTRICAL CONTACT WHILE PREVENTING THE DISCONNECTION OF THE CONDUCTOR FROM THE TERMINAL CONNECTOR UNDER SERVERE OPERATING CONDITIONS.

Feb. 2, 1971 J. R. WYATT ET AL TERMINAL CONNECTOR Filed July 10, 1968 fTTRNEY United States Patent O Filed .lilly 10, 1968, Ser. No. 743,655Int. Cl. H011' 11/20 ILS. Cl. 339-100 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A terminal connector having a Contact which is positivelyengaged with the wire conductor in a manner to effect low resistanceelectrical contact while preventing the disconnection of the conductorfrom the terminal connector under severe operating conditions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to improvements in aterminal connector for the high tension ignition distributor wires forconnecting these wires to the distributor cap.

The following prior art references are representative: 2,777,117,January 1957, Shrider; 2,034,695, March 1936, Dougherty; and 1,229,856,October 1960, Geminet (France).

The patent to Dougherty 2,034,695 shows the base of the conical point46, FIG. 4 of the Dougherty patent, as not as big as the opening definedby the annular ring 50. As a result, it would be impossible to screw thepointed end 46 of the threaded member 44 toward the annular ring `50 soas to pinch and turn over the ends of the strands of the wire 52 in aradial direction. Inspection of FIG. 4 of Dougherty shows the strandsare substantially parallel even when the screw member 44 is screwed allthe way in as shown. They are not bent over nor are they pinched betweentwo radially disposed surfaces. There is no radially disposed surfaceextending outwardly from the base of the conical point 46 in Dougherty.The holding of the wire 52 depends upon the resilience of the wire tokeep it from being jerked out of position rather than upon the actualmashing radial deformation and pinching and squeezing of the wirestrands between two radially disposed surfaces. It also takes aconsiderably longer length of wire in the Dougherty arrangement toeffect the operation and fails to use a definite positive pinchingaction between radial surfaces so that due to the characteristics of thestrands 5.2 which can vary and therefore render the Dougherty device notonly defective in rigidity of holding but in reliability when used inall kinds of different wires structures.

The Shrider reference Pat. 2,777,117, FIG. 4, the same kind of system asfound in Dougherty is used where the wires are pushed frictionallyagainst a large at surface 17-18. The wires are substantially inlongitudinally disposed position though sloping slightly outwardly.Furthermore, the point 17 of Shrider is an obtuse angle, not a 90 angleso that it is impossible, no matter how far the tapered portion 24 ofShrider is screwed in, to radially bend over and pinch the wires betweenthe base 16 of the portion 25 and the edge 17 of the hole 261. Thus,purely frictional engagement of the wire strands 15 is relied upon, withno locking of the wires over a 90 edge and pinching it between radiallydisposed surfaces. Shriders base of the conical point 24 at 16 is muchlarger than the bore l11so that he could not execute the recitedoperation.

The `French Pat. 1,229,856 has the conical point 2a within the bore of6a to receive the wires so that the only possible thing that could berelied upon is the frictional engagement of the wire strands with thestraight bore 3,560,909 Patented Feb. 2, 1971 surrounding the screwthreaded conical point. No possible way could the wires be bent overradially and pinched between radially disposed surfaces by a structurehaving a conical point with a base equal to the bore in which the wireis pushed. In the structure of this French patent, the insulation isalso pinched or mashed or secured in the straight bore below the numeral16a in FIG. 8 and is an inadequate and unsatisfactory method to hold thewire into the terminal unit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the objects of this invention is` toprovide an improved terminal connector which positively connects aconductor to a terminal in a secure and rigid manner to make a good lowresistance connection under all adverse conditions of weather,vibration, and mechanical stress.

Still another object is to provide a plastic terminal connector that iseasy to attach and remove from a terminal.

Still another object is to provide a fully insulative terminal connectorwhich is fully shock-proof under all adverse weather conditions of rainand moisture and which cannot be inadvertently disconnected by rough andcareless handling.

It is also a further object to provide a terminal connector of highphysical strength and durability.

Still another object is to provide a connector as recited above with anaxially aligned conical point and a conductor supporting bore such thatthe conical point engages and moves axially into the end of theconductor to spread the conductor radially beyond the diameter of thealigned bore to rigidly lock and secure the conductor to the terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of aterminal connector incorporating the features of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the terminal connector of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 3-3 of FIG. l.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the terminal connector.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged diagram showing the essential critical surfaces ofconductor engaging, clamping and locking device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As an example of one embodimentof this invention there is shown a terminal connector comprising asheath having a reduced wire receiving end 11 and an enlarged terminalreceiving end 12. The reduced wire receiving end has a counterbore 13adapted to snugly receive in a weather-tight manner the outside diameterof the insulation 14 of the high tension wire 15. A small wire receivingbore 16 forms an opening in the bottom of the counterbore 13 throughwhich projects the exposed end of the wire v15.

A concentrically aligned counterbore 17 is formed below the wirereceiving bore 16 and in communication therewith. An electro-conductivebushing insert 18 is xed in the counterbore 17 and has a conductorreceiving and supporting bore 26 aligned with the bore 16 through whichthe end of the `wire projects into the threaded bore 19 formed in thebushing 18.

A contact stud 20 has a diameter portion 21 adapted to tit snugly intothe socket portion 22 and the contact terminal 23 of an ignitiondistributor cap 24 or the like. The upper end of the contact stud 20 hasa threaded reduced portion 25 adapted to threadedly tit into thethreaded bore 19 of the bushing :insert 18. The upper end of the contacthas an axially aligned conical point 25a having -a base equal to thediameter of the wire or conductor 15 'which axially moves into andengages the end of the wire 15 to spread it radially and bend it overbeyond the diameter of the aligned bore 26 as the contact stud isscrewed into bushing 18 to positively rigidly lock the wire .15 incontact with the contact stud 20 and to thereby secure the conductor asa whole to the sheath against dislodgement and with low resistancecontact to thereby clamp with positive holding force the ared strands ofthe wire between the sharp 90 lower edge of the bore 26 of the bushing18 and the conical face 25a of the contact stud 20.

The enlarged terminal portion 12 of the sheath 10 has a counterbore 27adapted to snugly lit down over the outside diameter surface 28 of thesocket portion 22 to form a weather-tight seal between sheath 10 and thedistributor cap 24.

Referring particularly to FIG. 5, the lines A-B show the bore diameter26 which intersect the base line C of the conical point 25a at thecommon points of intersection D-D 'with the conical face 25a of thecontact stud represented by the lines E and E. The base diameter DD ofthe conical face 25a equals the diameter A-B of the aligned bore 26.

It can be clearly seen that the ends F of the wire strands 15 are bentover radially around the 90 edge G of the aligned bore 26 and are mashedbetween the radially disposed surface H adjacent the inner edge G of thebore 26 and the radially extending surface l defined by line C extendingoutwardly from the base of the a, such critical structure beingessential to the proper positive locking of the wire 15 in theconnector.

While the apparatus herein disclosed and described constitutes apreferred form of the invention, it is also to be understood that theapparatus is capable of mechanical alteration Without departing from thespirit of the invention and that such mechanical arrangement andcornmercial adaptation as fall within the scope of the appendent claimsare intended to be included herein.

We claim:

1. A high tension wire terminal connector comprising:

(A) a sheath having a reduced wire receiving end and an enlargedterminal receiving end,

(B) a counterbore surface within the reduced wire receiving end adaptedto snugly receive the outside diameter of the insulation of the hightension wire,

(C) a small wire receiving bore surface forming an opening in the bottomof the counterbore through which projects the exposed end of the wire,

(D) a concentrically aligned counterbore Surface formed below the wirereceiving bore and in cornmunication therewith,

(E) a bushing fixed in the concentrically aligned counterbore having awire receiving and supporting bore aligned with the Wire receiving boreand an enlarged threaded bore axially aligned with the wire receivingbore, the threaded bore having a radially disposed inner surfaceintersecting the wire receiving bore in a sharp edge,

(F) a contact stud having a threaded portion adapted to threadedly tinto the threaded bore in the bushing,

(G) and an' axially aligned conical point on the end of the contact studadjacent the threaded portion having a base diameter equal to thediameter to the conductor and the wire receiving bore so that rotationof the contact stud in the threaded bore in the bushing moves theconical point axially into the end of the wire to spread it radially andbend the wire over and beyond the sharp 90 edge of the wire receivingbore to positively lock the wire in contact with the contact stud tothereby secure the wire as a whole to the sheath against dislodgement.

2. A terminal connector as in claim 1 wherein low resistance positiveelectrical contact is provided by clamping 'with positive holding forcethe radially flared end of the wire between the sharp 90 edge of thewire receiving bore of the bushing and the conical face of the conicalpoint.

3. A terminal connector as in claim 1 wherein a radially disposedsurface lying in a plane defined by the base of the conical point isformed on the end of the contact stud to further deflect and secure theared wire end against the bottom surface of the counterbore in thebushing.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,034,695 3/1936 Dougherty339--100 2,156,272 5/1939 Bell 174-941 FOREIGN PATENTS 26,368 6/1923France 339-100 15,836 8/1912 Great Britain 339-10 212,983 3/1924 GreatBritain 339-100 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner J. H. MCGLYNN,Assistant Examiner

